1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the fields of waste and storm water pumping and waste product management and more particularly to the means of pumping such waste materials into a pressurized pipe and further on into a gravity sewer waste handling system for further treatment and processing. More particularly, this invention relates to gravity flow waste handling systems. Still more particularly, this invention relates to an improved pumping stations for such waste handling and to a unitary structure employed as a system with submersible pumping systems or pump stations. Even more particularly, this invention relates to pumping stations that can be installed within the flow and area of vehicular traffic.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most commercial waste handling systems usually employ some sort of gravity flow to carry the waste along a piping system and subsequently to treatment or other handling systems. Many of these systems are aqueous flow systems that handle sewage and other aqueous waste products including storm water run off and the like. It is difficult, however, to provide a total gravity flow system and it is sometimes necessary to have one or more pumping stations within the waste handling flow areas in order to move the waste stream along to its ultimate destination. For example, the waste from a higher source can flow along the piping or drainage system for a period of time but usually has to be pumped up over to some higher elevation. These pumping stations are very common within the prior art and usually employ a collection point in which a submersible pump is placed. As the collection point fills up with the aqueous waste product the pump sends this material up into an internal piping system through a check valve and into a gate valve apparatus and the pipe from thence sends the waste product on its way to the next point. There may be, and in fact usually are, several of these pumping stations between the aqueous waste source and the ultimate destination, which may be a waste treatment facility or just some drain source for normal storm drains and the like. Additionally, it is sometimes requisite to install a pumping station under the street or highway area in order to pump storm water and the like.
There are some serious problems with current pumping stations within the prior art. Most of these systems are round, concrete elements and are furnished as at least two or more, separate elements. Such a dual element includes the collection or pumping container (commonly called a wet well) and the container or chamber and the container or chamber for the valves and other elements (commonly called a valve chamber). They are inserted under ground in such a manner that the collection point containing the submersible pump is deeper than the container for the valves. In between these two, cementitious containers or chambers, there is normally a line or pipe to move the waste from the collection point to the valve chamber. Since the ground must be disturbed during the installation of these two points there is a tendency for the disturbed ground to settle and this settling causes movement of the piping between the collection point and the valve chamber and occasionally a line break occurs. This line breakage is a serious event and it is always necessitates the need to excavate the area around and between the two points in order to get to the line for repair. This is a very costly step and when there are several such pumping stations and several such line breaks the costs elevate considerable. Additionally, any leaks that may occur around these pumping stations can result in ground water pollution. Most of the current pumping stations are not suitable for installation under streets and the like since they must survive the constant flow of vehicular traffic without cracking lines and the like.
There is also considerable installation costs incurred by using these prior art pumping stations. Considerable ground must be excavated and putting together the two chambers or containers is time consuming and sometimes dangerous. As mentioned previously, it is difficult to sufficiently compact the ground around the containers and thus the shifting and/or settlement problems occur as previously mentioned. The two or more container system is also complicated requiring a great deal of skill to construct. Also, since the valve chamber or container is smaller in size it tends to “float” and/or “sink” in the disturbed ground area causing additional strain such as shears and breaks on the piping system.
Finally, since the two container or chamber system is more complicated, the construction of pumping stations using these prior art systems is also very complicated and requires a lot of individual parts. Thus, the installer must have on hand a great variety of elements and this is very expensive.